Chapter 259: Household Affairs (Part 1)

After finishing his toast, Ying exchanged a half-smiling, ambiguous glance with Hou Weidong before returning to his seat.

Hou Weidong ordered another bottle of beer. As he drank, a sigh escaped him. "Fate is truly unpredictable," he mused. "Back in the day, Duan Ying was on the verge of losing her job. Now she’s transferred to the Provincial Daily. At least this ambiguous affair of ours has finally come to an end."

Old Liu, unaware of the complex emotions churning in Hou Weidong’s heart, remarked casually, "Reporter Duan used to be Minister Liu’s wife. I don’t know why they split up."

Hou Weidong had no desire to discuss the topic. He raised his beer glass slightly and said, "Old Liu, let’s get another bottle of juice."

Old Liu still seemed reluctant to let the subject go. "Liu Kun is now the township head. They were quite a handsome couple. It’s a pity."

After dinner, they returned to Hebin Road. Their car was waiting outside the red-tiled, high-walled compound. Just past two o’clock, Huang Zidi emerged accompanied by Zhu Yan. After shaking hands, Huang Zidi went back inside, while Zhu Yan walked briskly toward the car. Hou Weidong was already standing by the car door, habitually reaching out to take Zhu Yan’s handbag.

Zhu Yan’s forehead was flushed with a hint of alcohol, but his expression remained calm.

Hou Weidong had been observing him closely. Seeing the slight upward curve of Zhu Yan’s mouth, he felt reassured. He had long noticed a telltale sign: when Zhu Yan was unhappy, the corners of his mouth would turn slightly downward; when he was pleased, the opposite was true.

"Secretary Zhu, where shall we go?"

"Let’s return to the hotel to rest for a while. We’ll head out at three o’clock."

Old Liu’s room was a standard double. Hou Weidong lay diagonally on the bed. The television was broadcasting some unknown model contest. In the dead of winter, a dozen beauties shivered on stage in bikinis, twisting and turning. The judges below watched the beautiful women intently, maintaining a serious demeanor.

Watching the scantily clad models, Hou Weidong’s mind inadvertently drifted to Duan Ying kneeling on the bed, the seductive curve of her waist lingering in his thoughts. After a moment, a certain part of his body below the waist began to stiffen.

Hearing the rush of water from the toilet, Hou Weidong subconsciously changed the channel. The new program featured several soldiers in obviously cheap military uniforms, pretending to fight. This was exactly the kind of show Old Liu loved.

Hou Weidong put down the remote control. "Old Liu, your show is on." Sure enough, Old Liu was already sitting in front of the television, watching attentively.

The air conditioning was set high, making the room feel stuffy and hot. Hou Weidong stepped out onto the balcony and dialed Xiaojia’s number.

"What’s up? It’s already the Beginning of Spring today. Can you make it back for New Year’s Eve? Let’s try to watch the Spring Festival Gala together."

Xiaojia’s voice was low. "I’m in a café. People here speak very quietly." She paused, then added, "Our studies are intense. We don’t get off until the morning of February 6th. I’ve already booked a flight back to Lingxi for the afternoon."

"I’ll pick you up at the Lingxi airport," Hou Weidong said. "By the way, I’ve changed cars. It’s a Bluebird, worth around two hundred thousand. I’ll drive the new car to pick you up."

Thinking that Xiaojia would be back the day after tomorrow, Hou Weidong’s mood lifted. At three o’clock, he went to Zhu Yan’s room.

Zhu Yan laid out the plan: "We’ll spend an hour at the school for deaf and mute children. Then we’ll head toward Lingxi at 4:30 and have dinner there."

Having followed Zhu Yan for so long, Hou Weidong knew him well. He knew that Zhu Yan had been divorced. The reason was simple: upon discovering that his daughter was deaf and mute, the young mother could not bear the pressure and left the country after the divorce.

At that time, Zhu Yan had been disheartened. The province was organizing a program for one hundred outstanding young cadres to go to the grassroots level, so he had gone to the former Shazhou Prefectural Committee. More than ten years later, most of those young cadres had returned to the provincial capital, while he had become the Party Secretary of Yiyang County. His daughter had remained at the Shazhou School for the Deaf and Mute. His current wife was from Shazhou; originally a doctor at the Shazhou First People’s Hospital, she had been transferred to the Yiyang Hospital after their marriage and was now the vice president.

Hearing Zhu Yan’s arrangement, Hou Weidong realized he was going to visit his daughter. In the car, he thought to himself, "Every family has its own difficulties. Zhu Yan holds absolute authority in Yiyang and enjoys great prestige, yet he has a deaf and mute daughter."

The school for the deaf and mute was located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by green mountains and clear water, with pleasant scenery. The gate guard was familiar with this Audi, waved his hand, and let the car pass through.

As soon as Zhu Yan entered the school gate, his expression grew somber. He walked to the window of the third classroom on the first floor and looked inside. The classroom was unusually empty, with only six or seven students sitting listlessly. Outside the corridor, a man in a wrinkled suit approached, greeting them warmly from a distance. "Secretary Zhu, you’ve arrived."

Zhu Yan shook his hand. "Principal Yang, the Spring Festival is approaching. Why are there still so many children who haven’t gone home?"

Principal Yang looked troubled. "The children who remain here—besides Zhu Mei, who wants to study painting—none of the others are going back. They are staying at school to spend the Spring Festival."

"Why aren’t their parents picking them up for the holiday?"

Principal Yang explained, "There’s no other way. Their parents are all working away from home, trying to save more money for the children."

Zhu Yan turned to Hou Weidong. "Go back and tell Old Liu at the Disabled Persons’ Federation. Have them organize some funds to visit the children during the Spring Festival."

Principal Yang’s face lit up with gratitude. He rubbed his hands together. "Secretary Zhu donated some fitness equipment last time. The children were overjoyed."

They went up to the third floor, where an art studio was located.

A small, thin girl of six or seven was concentrating on her drawing. She wore a clean denim jacket and had her hair tied in a ponytail. Her profile looked delicate and pretty. When Zhu Yan and the others entered, she didn’t notice at all. It was only when Zhu Yan patted her shoulder that she turned her head, a look of joy spreading across her face.

Zhu Mei looked very much like Zhu Yan, but her expression was sunny. She smiled, quite different from the image of a deaf and mute girl one might imagine. She wrote on her drawing board: "Dad, I’ve finished my task for today. I was waiting for you."

Zhu Yan fluently signed a few responses. Zhu Mei put away her drawing board, washed her hands in the corner of the room, and happily linked her arm with her father’s.

Principal Yang accompanied Zhu Yan, expressing his gratitude along the way and mentioning the hardships of running the school for the deaf and mute.

Zhu Yan responded generously, "Principal Yang, you’ve run the school for the deaf and mute so well. Your achievements are evident to all. Various sectors will support you. Yiyang is about to establish a Charity Association. We will strive to raise more donations." The school was the Shazhou School for the Deaf and Mute, not the Yiyang School, so Zhu Yan’s words were carefully measured.

Principal Yang knew that Zhu Yan always kept his word. He felt delighted inside, thinking, "If a few more children of high-ranking officials attended this school, I wouldn’t have to scratch my head over funding."

—

Once everyone was in the car, Zhu Yan and his daughter Zhu Mei communicated using sign language. Hou Weidong and Old Liu, unwilling to disturb the father and daughter, remained silent. As the car left the Shazhou boundary, Zhu Mei leaned against Zhu Yan’s shoulder and fell asleep. Zhu Yan’s expression was extremely tender. He didn’t care that his daughter was already sixteen; he let her lie flat in his arms, occasionally glancing at her eyes and brows.

They arrived at Zhu Yan’s home on the outskirts of Lingxi at 6:30. A large round table was set in the main hall, while several children were setting off firecrackers outside.

Zhu Yan’s wife, son, daughter, and other children went to the side room to eat. Since it was a family banquet, Zhu Yan invited Old Liu to sit at the large round table in the main hall. However, Old Liu firmly refused and went to the side room instead. Hou Weidong followed Zhu Yan to the large round table in the main hall.

Old Master Zhu sat at the head of the table. On either side of him were middle-aged men who exuded official authority. Zhu Yan was familiar with them all, shaking hands and exchanging greetings one by one.

Hou Weidong quickly understood the situation. Most of the guests were subordinates of Old Master Zhu. In his previous role as the head of the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Old Master Zhu had been professionally competent, highly respected, and upright. He had promoted many young cadres who were now scattered across various positions. Those present today were all departmental and divisional leaders with real power, including Old Jiang, Deputy Director of the Provincial Finance Department; Old Zheng, Deputy Secretary-General of the Provincial Government; Director Ding of the Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee; and two state-owned enterprise executives.

After several rounds of drinking, Director Ding said, "Today we drink to celebrate Secretary Zhu. After the New Year, he will likely take another step up."

There were no outsiders present, so Zhu Yan did not engage in excessive politeness. "I’ve heard rumors, but no official red-header document has arrived yet. Anything can happen. The divisional-level cadres in Shazhou are all very competitive."

Director Ding smiled with a rich expression. "You’ll know when the time comes, Secretary Zhu."

Old Zheng added, "Director Ding is usually tight-lipped. If he says this, there’s definitely no problem for you, Secretary Zhu."

Zhu Yan raised his glass. "Leaders from the province, let me first talk about Yiyang. Next year, I hope you brothers can give us some倾斜 (tilt/favor) in terms of funding." He drank six cups in succession, then pushed Hou Weidong forward. "This is Hou Weidong, who oversees the work of the County Party Committee Office in Yiyang."

Hou Weidong toasted each of them in turn with six cups. Zhu Yan took a large glass, poured six shots of wine into it, and said, "You toast the leaders again. If they just let a little spill from the corners of their mouths, it will be enough to feed Yiyang."

Hou Weidong had a good tolerance for alcohol. He did not decline, raised his glass, and said, "I wish all the leaders a happy holiday, all the best, and good health."

Twelve cups of wine, amounting to half a jin, went down. Hou Weidong remained calm, neither humble nor arrogant, appearing very steady.

Director Ding of the Organization Department showed considerable interest in Hou Weidong. "Young Hou, you’re about twenty-six or twenty-seven today, right? Are you a selected graduate?"

Hou Weidong answered honestly, "I graduated from the Law Department of Shazhou College in 1993. At that time, Yiyang publicly recruited a batch of civil servants, and I passed the exam to get in."

The fact that Zhu Yan brought Hou Weidong to such an occasion indicated that he was a trusted confidant. Director Ding suggested, "The Provincial Party School will hold a Young Cadres Class in May, lasting half a year. Let’s try to get Director Hou to come and polish his skills. It will be very beneficial for his future development."

Zhu Yan agreed readily.

After dinner, the leaders, each being a local potentate with precious time, took their leave one by one, heading to their next banquets.

Old Master Zhu was slightly tipsy. He directed the whole family to a large room upstairs. Inside, there was a large cake with the inscription: "Happy 16th Birthday, Zhu Mei." Surrounded by everyone, Zhu Mei came to the cake. She looked at it quietly, with a touch of shyness. Zhu Yan held her hand and made a few gestures.

Everyone clapped and sang the birthday song. Although Zhu Mei could not hear, she could see everyone’s expressions. She bent down and blew out the candles, then turned back to look at everyone with a shy smile.